SPECULATION Is Chewie going to die in Episode VIII?

I feel like if they were just going to off Chewie in the next film, that they wouldn't have ended TFA with him flying off with the new heroine (in a scene mirroring his scenes with Han and making a point about how he'd grown fond of her) to go meet Luke (and it'd just be the four of them, counting R2).

Doesn't seem like they plan on doing away with him anytime soon imo.

 

Agreed. If there's a SST (Sequel Sequel Trilogy) He could die. But not this trilogy.

 

Yes, Chewbacca will die.
He will be tracked down and killed by his son, Lumpy, for a lifetime of neglect and deadbeat fathering. Hanging out with Han Solo smuggling was more important to him than spending time with his family. The only time he managed to come home during Lumpy's formative years was Life Day '78, when he made the family dress in embarrassing red robes and walk across a starfield. Lumpy will lure Chewbacca out onto a walkway over a bottomless pit with no railings, pretend to want to make amends with him, then stab him through the gut with a Ryyk blade, a traditional Wookie sword.

 

Lumpy is actually one of the Knights of Ren .

 

This seems true. They set up Rey to be able to interact the Chewie by being able to understand him. I'm not sure I seen hat the gain would be of killing him off. Han died for a reason in the last film, I can't think of a satisfying way or reason to kill Chewie, so I don't think it will happen.

 

What is canonical lifespan of Wookie? I would keep him around since he is a suit. Could live thousands of years?

 

He'd better not. I'm at too attached to him (and Artoo and Threepio) o see them go. Luke, Han or Leia dying (1/3 so far), I could live with that, because the story started with them, so it would make sense for them to die here to end it with them. But Chewie, Artoo and Threepio can stay around and be sidekicks to our new heroes (joined by BB-8, of course)

If he HAD to go though, I'd like to see him go down with the Falcon

 

I bet Lumpy still is a kid. Who knows how long a Wookie takes to reach puberty.

--- Double Post Merged, Apr 12, 2016, Original Post Date: Apr 12, 2016 ---

Darth Lumpy

 

I hope they keep Chewie around, I'm pretty fond of his character. If they do kill off the rest of the big three in the ST, Chewie could be the legacy character that helps connect future SW films to the OT (and I guess the PT since he was in ROTS).

That's not to say that every sequel has to have a direct connection back to the OT, but it'd be nice to have a familiar character like Chewie around, even if he only has a minor role. Kind of like a band that's been around for a long time and has had a bunch of lineup changes but they still have that one original member. (I suppose Artoo and/or Threepio could also serve that purpose as they've been in every SW film thus far).

I'm not exactly sure what the average Wookie lifespan is, but I think it's several hundred years. Even though Peter Mayhew is getting older and has some health problems that may be prevent him from reprising the role in future films, I'm sure that Joonas Suotamo, who was the Chewbacca double in VII, would be happy to continue playing the character.



I think TFA was Chewie's best film yet and I'm really looking forward to seeing him in VIII. If Chewie does die, I'll be sad, but hopefully they'll give him a proper send-off. Preferably one that does not involve him being killed by Lumpy (although that would be kind of hilarious). I always thought his death in the EU was pretty epic. If you're gonna die, you might as well be crushed by a moon.

 

Getting crushed by a moon was kind of dumb. I hope he just goes off and retires instead of dies if they remove his character. Always a chance to come back, and wookies live a long time.

 

Wookies live for centuries, and Chewie is meant to be over 200 years old I believe. And yet, he didn't look that much different in TFA than he did in the OT, or even the PT for that matter. He didn't seem to have physically aged much, and he could sure sill move around pretty darn good.

 

I don't think Chewie will die, he has a connection with Rey, but he might go back home and pick up his son Lumpy

for some adventure and stop and say hi to his perverted father, Itchy

 

That's a good point. They could have Chewbacca "retire" as it were and go back home to Kashyyyk rather than be killed off. I think Chewie deserves a happy ending. And as you mentioned, that would leave them with the option to bring Chewie back into the fray in a future film, novel, or comic book.

 

For me the answer is in the casting of Joonas Suotamo and how Disney has introduced us to him. It's clear they are setting Chewie up to have a long life, any character in a suit can be "immortal". Disney didn't just cast some stunt double who happened to be the height of Mayhew. While we know who Daisy's stunt double is Disney hasn't introduced her to us like she's a cast member, but they've made it known who Joonas is and how closely he is working with Peter, it's clear that at some point the torch will be passed and Joonas will be Chewie any time he's on screen.

I am also curious what canon is when it comes to Wookie age. Legends/EU puts it at centuries, but does anyone have a canon source?

 

My policy has been, if a new piece of media has not yet contradicted what a piece of Legends media has said on a subject, I stick with what the Legends thing has said until new canon says otherwise.